Past webinars

The Future of the Union Customs Code - a critical review

The Union Customs Code was formally introduced in the EU in 2016. In the last five years, many elements of the UCC have been specified, clarified and implemented. We can now look back at the impact the introduction of UCC has had on the competitiveness of the European common market, the position of companies, and also the effectiveness of Customs in the various Member States. Albert Veenstra and Leon Kanters will discuss the origin of UCC, the change and renewal UCC has brought companies in the EU and the impact on the Customs agencies in European Member States. The speakers will also look ahead at relatively new challenges for the international movement of goods, such as e-commerce, and if UCC is offering the tools to effectively deal with these challenges.

Leon Kanters and Albert Veenstra

About the speakers

Leon Kanters has been professionally active in the field of 'trade & customs' for over 30 years. He has extensive experience in the field of excise duties, BPM, trade compliance and export control. The session will be hosted by Prof. Albert Veenstra, scientific director of the Dutch Institute for Advanced Logistics, developing the innovation agenda for the Dutch logistics industry.

TradeLens: a blockchain platform for data sharing in cross-border supply chains

Norbert Kouwenhoven will present an overview of the changing ways of working in Customs Authorities in a world where the increasing volume of goods and declarations require an adjusted approach. A world where the private sector is on a path of the use of collective data platforms, where governments are engaging in federated platforms.

Customs Authorities are regarded by the private sector as a relevant participant in the supply chain. Customs Authorities can facilitate transports but also slow them down.

How can Customs Authorities best play a role in this new situation and work more information based? The overview will indicate how and where the platform TradeLens is used by the private sector, and how Customs Authorities can use this to their advantage.

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About the speakers

Norbert Kouwenhoven is member of IBM´s Core TradeLens Team (Customs and Authorities Lead), and Solutions Leader for IBM EU in the area of Customs, Immigration and Border Management. The session will be hosted by Prof. Yao-Hua Tan, professor of information and communication technology, and the programme director of RSM’s Master in Customs and Supply Chain Compliance programme.

Sustainable Supply Chains

International supply chains struggle with monitoring and reporting of sustainable practices. The extent to which claims on environmental and social performance can be effectively monitored and reported in a valid way, depends on supply chain structure (chain of custody) and information (supply chain visibility). This involves monitoring and reporting procedures according to standards used by certifying bodies, and new technologies such as AI and Blockchain.

Anecdotical evidence illustrates this: Consumers are explicitly pointed out that some levels of product tracing are not feasible due to complexity of the supply chain. Product labels progressively report the chain of custody under which the certification has been achieved. These observations connect in an interesting way with the ambition of customs organizations to play a more prominent role in fostering sustainable values in global supply chains.

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About the speaker

Prof. Rob Zuidwijk is professor of global supply chains and ports at RSM. Rob has co-ordinated and joined funded research projects in international container transport, logistics and supply chains. Rob is ambassador of SmartPort roadmap Smart Logistics and academic member Topteam of the Topsector Logistics in the Netherlands.

Recent developments in customs valuation

Since the introduction of the Union Customs Code (UCC) there have been important changes to the rules on customs valuation in the EU. Not only legislation (the UCC itself and the Guidance on customs valuation from the EU Commission), but also cases decided by and pending before the European Court of Justice will have an impact in practice (for example the GE Healthcare case, Hamamatsu case and pending before the court, the Curtis Balkan case). In this webinar the most recent developments will be discussed.

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About the speaker

Prof. Walter de Wit is professor of international and European customs law at Erasmus School of Law. He is also a partner at professional services firm Ernst & Young. Walter specialises in international trade and how taxation and customs law impact cross border supply chains, and has served as Advocate General in the Tax Chamber of the Supreme Court of the Netherlands.